Sunday, August 31, 2008

Five Days to Twitter Literacy (Twiteracy) - Part Five and Beyond


Whew! Back in the blogsphere. My 'puter was in the hospital. Sharks, have you caught on to Twitter? Or, more importantly, can you see the potential of Twitter, from a recruiting standpoint? Aside from the obvious uses of broadcasting jobs via Twitter, and searching for candidates using a Twitter search engine or profile index, I think Twitter, when combined with other tools, has great potential as a communication tool (inasmuch as Twitter allows the exchange of information) and message delivery system. The results of my solo Sunday Morning brainstorm:




  • Twitter and IM - Starting a conversation with many on Twitter, then moving the conversation to IM (there are some emerging Twitter/IM products -- I haven't tried them yet) when you want to get personal. Your corporate "celebrities" or experts should have a Twitter account; they will attract followers among whom there will surely be great candidates or leads. IM helps facilitate instant communication among the luminaries.

  • Twitter and Facebook -- There are several Facebook apps that allow Twitter updates on Facebook pages; if you developing a Facebook presence, Twitter is one way of gathering new Fans, and Facebook provides a "home base" for your Twitter followers.

  • Twitter and LinkedIn -- LinkedIn recently added it's own "What are you working on?" feature (accessed through the 'Edit Profile' page); not sure of its effectiveness, as these updates do not appear in the network updates, so most of the time, unless specifically viewing a profile, users are not aware of their contacts' most recent updates. However, think of developing a recruiter network in Twitter as a way to instantly share LinkedIn profiles and leads. Leverage Twitter's "Protected Twits" function to build a private network, or share candidates across the globe.
  • Twitter and YouTube -- I've written about viral recruiting videos previously; they are the hottest commodity in employer branding these days (the example in the link is absolutely stunning). The myth of the viral video is that it magically works its way around the internet. As one recruiting executive at a major employer found out, after investing time and bo-coo duckets in producing great videos and matching microsites, if you build it, they might not come. A successful viral campaign starts with a buzz strategy and Twitter is the perfect platform to generate buzz.

  • Twitter and Event Recruiting -- Twitter allows instant and spontaneous communication. Consider communicating with top job fair candidates or trade show leads via Twitter. Announce informal after-event gatherings (real recruiting happens over drinks!). For college recruiters, let students know when your company is on campus and ready for office hours (or in the student union, buying free pizza).


So my friends, our Tutorial on Twitter comes to an end. But that doesn't mean we should end exploration of this tool. Twitter is only in its infancy (Remember your first few LinkedIn contacts? Remember questioning whether or not anyone actually made hires using LinkedIn? Seems like a silly question now, but back then, it required some imagination to believe that it would become indispensable. ) It's up to you to take Twitter from the realm of geeky coolness to essential professional tool.


Now, I am going to make dinner. But you knew that, if you follow me on Twitter!


4 comments:

  1. This series was so awesome.

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  2. PS - Where's your twitter badge on your blog? Am I missing it?

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  3. Wonderful, wonderful series and great blog!

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  4. Anonymous11:00 AM

    Hey Carmen, nice blog. Seen ping.fm? Check it out. Allows a 'write once, post everywhere' functionality. So I put my little message into Gtalk and off it goes to Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, all ning sites to which I have connected to Twitter, LinkedIN, Plaxo, etc, etc.

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